June 27, 2005: Rustbelt Radio

Intro

Welcome to this week's edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots, news overlooked by the corporate media. The show airs every Monday from 6-7pm on WRCT 88.3FM in Pittsburgh, PA and every Saturday from 5-6pm on WVJW Benwood, 94.1 FM in the Wheeling, West Virginia area. And we're also available on the internet, both on W-R-C-T's live webstream at W-R-C-T dot ORG and archived at radio dot I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot org.

On today's show...

• A bill currently in Harrisburg could raise the minimum wage across the state of Pennsylvania to seven dollars and fifteen cents.
• We talk with representatives of the Pittsburgh-based Just Health Care Campaign
• the BioDemocracy conference in Philadelphia met in opposition to the Biotechnology Industry Orgranization's meetings; Rustbelt has a report.
• and we hear from Iraqi Labor Leaders on their speaking tour stop last week in Pittsburgh

but first, these headlines from Pittsburgh Indymedia.

[2:30] Santorum Protest

On Saturday about 30 people demonstrated in the heat outside Senator Rick Santorum's Pittsburgh Office at Station Square. The demonstration, called "Bring Stonewall to Santorum", marked the 36th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion which initiated the modern Gay Liberation movement. The crowd denounced Rick Santorum as a symbol of the right-wing anti-Gay offensive.

After a brief rally at Market Square that featured a reading by slam poet Virginia German, participants marched across the Smithfield St. Bridge to his south side office for a speak out and performances by the Radical Cheerleaders. The demonstration was organized by the Progressive Queer Organizing Committee.

• santorum_protest.ogg: Santorum Protest - 1:38

[2:30] PAT cuts service

On June 19, the Pittsburgh Port Authority quietly enacted small cuts to Pittsburgh bus service. Most of the changes are minimal. For some routes, like the 16D Manchester for example, service no longer goes as far as it used to. For other routes like the 61B Braddock, 25D Robinson to Carnegie, and 54C North Side to South Side via Oakland, early morning and late night runs have been eliminated. All nighttime and Sunday service has been eliminated for the 41C Cedar Boulevard bus.

On Sunday, Rustbelt Radio spoke with Steve Donahue of Save Our Transit who gave us some updates on the transit situation.

• steve_transit.ogg: transit update from steve -- 2:08

[1:00] Bike Fest

This past Friday, Pittsburgh’s monthly Critical Mass was held as part of Bike Fest. June’s ride was the largest the streets of Pittsburgh have ever seen, with over two-hundred cyclists participating. Bike riders of all ages took to the streets of Oakland, Shadyside, and the East End and were greeted with smiles, waves, honks, and cheers from bystanders and drivers.

• CriticalMass_edited.ogg: critical mass sound intro edited to 0:28

Riders spanned several blocks and inspired passing cyclists to spontaneously join in the ride. Next month’s ride will be held on Friday July 29th beginning at 5:30 in Oakland. Tune in to an upcoming show for more special coverage from bike fest.

Wrapup

For more on all of our local news stories, visit pittsburgh dot I-N-D-Y-M-E-D-I-A dot O-R-G.

Global News

Intro

You are listening to Rust Belt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news overlooked by the corporate media. We turn now to headlines from other Independent Media Centers around the world.

[1:15] Radio Free Brattleboro Shut Down By Feds

At 6:58 on the morning of June 22, 2005, United States Marshals entered the studios of Radio Free Brattleboro in Brattleboro, Vermont, and seized its broadcasting equipment. A warrant for the seizure had been issued from the state capitol in Burlington.

The Federal Communications Commission had been trying to shut down the unlicensed radio station since 2003, but the seizure was unexpected as a court case related to the station's right to operate was still pending in a federal court. As Rustbelt Radio reported last October, in 2004 a town-wide vote overwhelmingly gave the station its own authority to broadcast, which the station argued satisfied the FCCs requirements.

Radio Free Brattleboro's attorney, James Maxwell, commented, saying: "RFB does not operate in defiance of government but rather from the belief of its members and listeners that community radio is essential to good government and democratic process.... It is very much a surprise that the FCC has done an end run around the court here in Brattleboro. It's a sad and disappointing day."

[1:20] Lockdown at the State Capital: Tenncare Enrollees Locked into the Governor's Office

A major battle over access to health care is raging in Tennessee in the wake of the Tennessee Governor's recent announcement to cut 323,000 poor people from Tennesse's Medicaid plan, TennCare^?. Activists warn that cutting people from TennCare^? who are unable to get private health insurance would spark an increase in sickness and deaths as residents fall through the the cracks of the system. In response they have held a series of demonstrations in Nashville, Memphis and other cities.

Starting last week, several dozen TennCare^? Enrollees, including many in wheelchairs and with serious medical issues, have occupied the Tennessee Governor's office to demand an open meeting with the Governor, a halt to the cuts, and a discussion of reforms and alternatives to disenrollment. The occupation continues despite great hardship for the enrollees, as the State Police have denied them access to food or water from 4pm to 8am when they are locked inside the Capitol. Additionally, there are some who are unable to use the bathrooms in the State Capital because they are not handicap accessible. Many have had to sleep on the cold marble floor and are kept awake by State Troopers or constant calls from the media.

Today, the presidents of the National and Memphis chapters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference joined the protesters occupying the state capital, bringing blankets and food with them. The presidents have also said they will stay inside the capitol with the protestors overnight.

For more details of this developing story, visit tennessee dot I-N-D-Y media dot org.

Wrapup

You can read more about our global news stories by visting I-N-D-Y-M-E-D-I-A dot O-R-G. We'll be back after a brief break.

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[ Musical Break ]

Bad Cop No Donut

Features

Intro

That was .... Welcome back to Rust Belt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.

[6:00] Raise the Minimum Wage Rally

In Harrisburg this past Wednesday, hundreds gathered in the State Capitol to rally for an increase to the state minimum wage. Eight years have passed since the last increase in the Pennsylvania minimum wage, and when adjusted for inflation, the wage is at its lowest point since the late 1940s. Two bills to increase the minimum wage to at least seven dollars and fifteen cents are currently being discussed in the Pennsylvania legislature.

From Harrisburg, Megan and Shannon have more.

• [ Clip - minimum wage rally 5:30 ]

[11:00] Just Health Care (local community group)

In our weekly interview with a local grassroots organization, today we speak with a member of Just Health Care, which works to influence public policy and to educate and mobilize Pennsylvanians about the growing crisis in the U. S. health care system.

• [audio clip - either scott_tyson_10.ogg (for the 10 min version) or scott_tyson_13.ogg (for the 13 min version)] (quinten - we will run the 10 minute version)

That was Scott Tyson from Just Health Care. Tune in next week to hear more from that interview as Dr. Tyson discusses medical malpractice and corporate greed in the pharameceutical industry. For more information about Just Health Care, visit www-dot-pushnow.org.

You're listening to Rust Belt Radio.

[11:00] Philly BioDev

From June 19 to June 22 in Philadelphia, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) held its annual international convention. The convention was the world’s largest gathering of biotech and pharmaceutical executives, as 18,730 representatives from 56 countries and all 50 U.S. states, gathered for 900 business presentations on health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

Running opposite the BIO convention was a counter-convention called "BioDemocracy 2005." Like previous BIO conventions, activists from across the US converged on the "City of Brotherly Love" to bring attention to BIO's closed-door agenda of medicine for profit, genetically engineered agriculture and bioweapons proliferation.

At the conference, speakers discussed the issues of Genetically Modified Organisms (or GMOs) in Latin America, and the potential for GMO-Free zones in Canada.

• [audio excerpts from teachins - 5:00] (quinten - is this the Candadian GE resistance clip?)

Last week's BioDemocracy demonstrations reached a peak on Tuesday, the Summer Solstice, which was billed as "the longest day (of action) of the year." The day began with a morning breakfast and speak out at GlaxoSmithKline’s national headquarters, where activists berated the pharmaceutical giant for preventing seniors from access to affordable medicines through Canadian pharmacies, suing the South African government for supplying affordable medicine to people with AIDS, distorting the results of scientific research for the sake of profits, as well as testing on animals and knowingly producing toxic drugs.

Solstice actions then continued with a multi-themed participatory street theater march. Dressed as green genetically-mutated vegetables and calling themselves "Mutants for Monsanto", one group descended on the Environmental Protection Agency Regional Headquarters to demand a moratorium on the use of genetically engineered plants and animals. Another group, dressed in red and carrying cardboard skulls, marched against the expansion of bio-weapons labs at Ft. Dietrich [prouncued DEE-trick], Maryland and noted that the U.S. government is currently pouring more money into "biodefense" than it did on the Manhattan Project, the government project to develop the atomic bomb during the second world war.

All three marches converged at Philadelphia's Love Park. Later in the day the group was boxed in by Philadelphia Police, which led to a confrontation that culminated in several arrests and a police officer collapsing due to a pre-existing heart condition. Currently, one person is facing two counts of aggravated assault while four others are facing resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and conspiracy. Bails were set as high as $50,000 for misdemeanor charges, and law enforcement worked to make the release of the arrestees as difficult as possible. We spoke to Iris, who was there.

• [audio clip: Iris interview 4:15 ]

[10:15] Iraq Labor leaders come to town

This past April, Congress gave approval for an additional 82 billion dollars of war-related spending, 58 of which will go towards the war in Iraq. According to the National Priorities Project, Pittsburgh’s share for what Congress has allocated for the Iraq occupation so far is 159.1 million dollars. The United Steelworkers of America, a local labor union, hosted the ‘US Labor Against the War’ speaking tour of Iraqi labor leaders who discussed the current situation in their country for organizers, workers, and also civilians living under the occupation.

Prior to The Ba’ath Regime, there was a vibrant labor movement in Iraq. In the late 1970’s Saddam Hussein outlawed the organization of labor unions and also made it illegal to have a union in the public sector, which is where the majority of workers work in Iraq. Tom DeBruin^?, president of the PA Healthcare Workers Union and An International Vice President of the SEIU, describes what ‘US Labor Against the War’ representatives found in Iraq one year ago, when they went to observe the effects of the current occupation.

• TRACK 1 TOM (0:32)

Iraqi labor leader Falah Awan (Fall-lah Ah- wahn) first became an underground union organizer in Iraq when he refused to sign a loyalty pledge to Saddam Hussein, and was barred from practicing his trade as an engineer. Awan now works as the President of ‘The Federation of Worker’s Councils and Unions of Iraq’, which he helped to found in December 2003. Awan described what life is like for civilians and workers under the occupation in Iraq:

• (TRACK 2 FALAH AWAN 4:06)

Awan also discussed how the high unemployment rates affect the stability of life in Iraq and the hope for workers:

• (TRACK 3 FALAH AWAN 2:05)

Another speaker on the tour was Amjad Ali Aljawhry (Al- jah- hari), the North American Representative of the Federation of Worker's Councils and Unions of Iraq and also the Union of the Unemployed in Iraq. Aljahary fled the country ten years ago and since then has worked to organize against the economic sanctions and the war. He stated that the previous fascist regime has destroyed the base of the labor movement, which now has to start from ground zero. Other problems faced by the movement are weak financial capabilities, and the basis of the government on religion and ethnicity which absolutely contradicts the nature of the labor movement. Aljahary explained the new regime’s affect on workers and organizers.

• TRACK 4 ALI ALJAHARY (0:56)

Aljahary believes the development of an action plan is the best option for progression in Iraq. Aljahary also states that ending the occupation in Iraq is not a local struggle, yet an international one. And he calls upon all anti-war groups across the globe to join in the struggle to end the occupation. For more information about US Labor against war, go to www dot uslaboragainstwar dot com

Ending

[1:30] Calendar of events

And now we present the Indymedia calendar of events:

• On June 30th the Southwest PA Commission will once again be asked to flex more federal highway money to keep public transit running. Join fellow public transit riders on Wednesday June 29, 2005 at the State Office Building at 11:45AM and tell your state law makers to pass legislation NOW that will keep our buses and light rail running. The State Office Building is located at 300 Liberty Ave downtown. For more information call 412-361-3022
• This Saturday July 2nd, there will be a radical 4th of July picnic held at the Anderson Shelter in Schenley Park. Starting at 1pm there will be a potluck, and later in the day there will be readings of radical literature, an open mic, info tables, games, screenprinting and more. For more information contact www.organizepittsburgh.org

Outro

Thanks for tuning in to Rust Belt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh and WVJW Benwood.

Our hosts this week are [ Quinten ] and [ Jessica ] with contributions from [ Megan Smith, Shannon Tibbetts, David Meieran, Jessica McPherson, Carlin Christy, Gwendolyn Schmidt ]. This week's show was produced by [ Matt Toups ]. Special thanks to all of our hosts, producers, and contributors.

Your story submissions are welcome! To get involved with Rust Belt Radio, or to send us your comments, email RADIO at I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot ORG. All of our shows are available for download on our website at RADIO dot INDY-P-G-H dot ORG

Tune in next week at this time for another edition of Rust Belt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots.